Shoe protector



March zalzs.

A. MGKINLEY Patented Mar. 20, 1928.

UNITED lsrfrss PATENT OFFICE.

.ARTHUR MCKINLEY, 0F KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

SHOE PROTECTOR.

Application led July 13,

My invention relates to shoe protectors and more particularly to adetachable member adapted to be secured to a shoe so as to pro ect the portions thereof that ordinarily receive the greatest amount of wear.k

It is a purpose of my invention to provide a shoe protector having means for protecting the toe, rthe sole and side portions of a shoe. The protector preferably comprises a body portion made of a single piece of material havingside flaps that are adapted to pro"- tect the sides of the shoe upper andan end flap that is adapted tounderlie the side flaps and protect the toe of the shoe. The sole of the shoe is protected by the main body portion of the protector and a reinforcement or wearing element is preferably provided where the toe portion joins the sole engaging portion. This reinforcement is preferably made by securing a pair of tabs in overlapping relation to thetread surface of the shoe protect-or.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear as the description of the accompanying drawings proceeds. However, I desire to have it distinctly understood that I do not intend to limit myself to the exact details shown or described, but that I intend to include as part of my invention all such obvious changes and modifications of parts as would occur to person skilled in this art and as would fall Within the scope of the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a shoe protector made in accordance with my invention, in position on a shoe.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the shoe protector detached, and

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the shoe protector before the .same is completely assembled, showing the separate parts thereof.

Referring in detail to the drawings:

My improved shoe protector comprises a body portion 10 of leather or similar Wear-y resisting material that is flexible but of sufficient thickness to resist wear. The body portion is preferably provided with a pair of side flaps 11 and the same is preferably creased as at 12 to provide a central sole en gaging portion or tread portion 13 from which the side flaps 11 extend at an angle. llxtending outwardly from the tread portion 13, subsantially in alignment therewith7 is an end flap 14. The blank from which the shoe protector is made is also provided with 1926. serial No. 122,166.

a pair of narrow tabs extending outwardly laterally from the body portion of thel protector between the side flaps 11 and the end flap '14, and in assembling the device the tabs 15 are turned back under the neck portion 16 that joins'the end flap 14 with the body portion 10 so as to form a reinforcing member at the junction of the end flap with the main body portion of the protector. The tabs 15 are preferably secured in place by rows of stitc 'ing 16. The side flaps 11 are preferably cut on a curve along the forward edge thereof 'so as to provide therounded edge 17 which overlies the toe portion of the shoe and overlies the flap 14 when the device is in position on the shoe, so as to avoid any abrupt corners on the shoe protector and at the same time make it possible to bring the substantially straight edges 18 close together when the flexible member 19,

which may be an ordinary shoe string, is insorted in the eyelets 2O extending along the side edges of the flaps 11 at the straight portion thereof and partially around the curved portions 17 thereof for the purpose of drawing the free edges of the side flaps toward each other and securing the protector snugly in position on the shoe.

The side flaps 11 are further provided with rearward extensions 21 which have the diagonally extending edges 22 and 23 joining the same respectively with the straight f edges 18 and the tread portion of the protector. Secured to the'rearward extensions 21 are the straps 24 and 25, said straps being secured together by any suitable securing means such as the buckle 26p The end of the strap 25 secured to the body portion of the protector may be provided with an enlargement 27 so that the same may be more firmly secured to the rearward project-ion 21 by means of the stitching 28.

Y Vhen the shoe protector is placed on the shoe the tread portion 13 is engaged with the sole of the shoe and the end flap 14 isV placed over the toe of the shoe, after which the side flaps 11are lapped over the end flap 14 and the flexible securing member 19 is drawn tight, the straps 24 and 25 being also tightened by means of the buckle 26 to draw the protector tightly onto the -toe of the shoe and around the side portions of the upper. When the shoe protector has been adjusted in position, the thickened reinforcement provided by the tabs 15 will lie substantially along the front edge portion of the sole of the shoe where the toe of the shoe meets the same, thus providing a thickened reinforcing and wear portion at this point which is ordinarily the point of greatest wear. The protector thus covers substantially the entire tread portion of the shoe except the heel thereof and also the portions of the upper of the shoe that are ordinarily subjected to Wear. As the protector is made of flexible material that is similar to that used in the shoe itself, the wearer will not find the device to he uncomfortable and at the same time will obtain the desired protection from wear of the shoe. Further f more, due to the flexibility of the protector the same can be. readily adjusted to position, and in view of the fact that the same is made of one piece of material there is 26 economical construction is obtained, as the entire device can be cut out of one piece of leather without any great amount of wastet What I claim and desire to secure by LettersPatent is:

l. In a shoe protector, a flexible body portion having a pair of side flaps, an end Hap, a pair of integral tabs on said body portion between said side and end flaps secured to the wearing face of said protector, and means for securing said side flaps together, said end flap being adapted to underlie said side flaps and being held in position thereby.

2. In a shoe protector, a flexible body p0rtion haring a pair of side flaps, an end Hap, a pair of integral tabs on said body portion between said side and end flaps secured together in overlapping relation and to the wearing face of said protector, and means for securing` said side flaps together, said end flap being adapted to underlie said side aps and being held in position thereby.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature.

ARTHUR MCKINLEY. 

